22 Years' Battery Customization
Dec 21, 2020 Pageview：560
Batteries are an assortment of one or more cells whose chemical reactions in a circuit generate electrons' flow. There are three essential components of all batteries and those three components are are an anode ('-' side), a cathode ('+' side), and some sort of electrolyte (a substance that chemically reacts with the anode and cathode).
If the cathode and anode of the battery are connected to a circuit, a chemical reaction will occur between the anode and the electrolyte. This reaction results in electrons flowing through the circuit as well as back into the battery's cathode, where another reaction occurs. The battery cannot generate electricity if the substance in the cathode or anode is exhausted or is no longer able to be used in the reaction. At this point, the battery is referred to as be "dead."
Still, you are unsure about the battery cathode, so we have done the hard work for you. This article will get to know: Is cathode positive or negative in a battery, how to protect the battery cathode, and much more. So, we suggest you to continue reading and enlighten yourself about battery cathode.
A cathode is a negatively charged electrode. However, with regard to the anode, the cathode's polarity may be either negative or positive, and it depends primarily on the function of the device. For example, the cathode in a recharging battery is negative. However, in the case of a battery discharge, the polarity of the cathode is positive. The cathode is usually the terminal from which the current flows out of a system, while the anode is the terminal from which the current flows inward from outside.
The charge on the cathode basically depends upon whether it is used in an electrochemical cell or an electrolytic cell. In an electrochemical cell (Use for the supply of current like batteries), the cathode is positively charged. Here, the positively charged ions get reduced by gaining electrons from an uncharged cathode. This results in the cathode developing a positive charge. So, with respect to the anode, the cathode polarity can be positively or negatively charged, which entirely depends on how the device is being operated.?
The flow of current describes a cathode. Generally, the current refers to the movement of electrical charge. However, you should always keep the convention in mind, that the direction of current is where a positive charge will move. So if the electrons do actual moving in a cell, then the current will flow in the opposite direction.?
The cathode is generally a negatively charged electrode that attracts positive charge or cations. It is also the source of electrons or electron donors, which may accept a positive charge. Because the cathode is capable of generating electrons, it can be said that cathodes generate a charge.
Note that the charge can flow either from positive to negative or from negative to positive! Due to this reason, the cathode may, therefore, be positively charged or negatively charged. The same is true for the anode as well.
Are you looking for ways to protect the battery cathode? If yes, then this section has got you covered. Cathodic protection is one of the most basic and common methods that is used to protect the battery cathode. Before diving it into the ways, let's first understand what cathodic protection is?
?It is a way to resist corrosion on submerged and underground metallic structures. Numerous devices, such as vehicles, underwater floaters, subsea equipment, harbors, pipes, reservoirs, practically all submerged or buried metal structures, are commonly covered by cathodic protection.
Basic Principles of Cathodic Protection
The process is based on converting the active areas to passive on a metal surface. By the supply of current, the metal's potential is decreased, the corrosion attack will cease, and in this way, cathodic protection is accomplished. It is possible to obtain cathodic protection by either:
● Sacrificial anode cathodic protection
● Impressed current cathodic protection
Let's have a detailed and precise look at both these methods:-
Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection
The simplest way to apply cathodic protection is by connecting the metal, which is to be protected with another more easily corroded metal that will serve as the anode. Zinc, aluminum, and magnesium are the metals that are most commonly used as anodes.
The more active metal becomes the anode to the others (which is also the least noble), it sacrifices itself to protect the cathode by corroding (giving up metal). Hence the term sacrificial anode is used here.
As the driving voltage of sacrificial anodes is lower than impressed current anodes, the sacrificial anodes must therefore be well dispersed and placed closer to the area which is being protected.?
Due to the potential difference between the cathodic area and the anodic area, the positively charged metal ions leave the surface of the anode, while on the other hand, the electrons leave the surface at the cathode.
Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP)
For cathodic protection, ICCP systems use an external form of electrical power, which is also referred to as a control panel. The control panel offers the current which is required to polarize the surface that needs to be protected.
The protective current is transmitted through specially designed inert anodes, typically a form of conductive material that does not dissolve easily into metallic ions but rather sustains alternative anodic reactions.
That's all on the battery cathode – charging and protection. As you can see, the battery cathode can be quite confusing to understand. Isn’t, it? But with this detailed and comprehensive article, we hope that you must have gained a better understanding of a battery cathode, its protection, and much more. So, if you have any further doubts regarding the battery cathode, then please feel free to let us know in the comment section below.
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